Is anyone else more excited to read the John Galliano interview? You know that’s going to be good/crazy. But Channing Tatum covers the new issue of Vanity Fair, and he’s usually a good interview too. It’s cracking me up that VF did this beefcake-y photoshoot with Channing – the photo with the white tank and sweatpants is really… um… rednecky. There, I said it. I don’t have a problem with rednecks or anything (I live in the South), but good God. Maybe those are his wife’s sweatpants?! Anyway, here are VF’s cover story highlights:

“I don’t think you can prepare. It’s a bit of a freestyle,” Channing Tatum tells Vanity Fair contributing editor Rich Cohen about raising children with his wife, Jenna Dewan. His parents, Tatum says, set a good example “for better and worse. They weren’t perfect. I don’t know anyone who did have perfect parents. It’s provided me with lessons I’ll try to improve upon when I’m up to bat. I’m just going to be a good friend to my kid. One thing I definitely want to change is that whole ‘I don’t want you to make the same mistakes’ mentality. My dad didn’t have much money growing up; he didn’t have much of an education. He forced that on me, and I didn’t want it.”

In Vanity Fair’s July issue, Tatum tells Cohen that his father worked as a roofer right up to the day he fell through a roof and broke his back. Though he recovered, he could never again do heavy labor and consequently became a salesman. Tatum’s father channeled his dreams into his son, stressing education, but Tatum struggled.

“I read so slow,” he tells Cohen. “If I have a script I’m going to read it five times slower than any other actor, but I’ll be able to tell you everything in it. It kills me that there are standardized tests geared towards just one kind of child.”

Another important difference between him and his father, Tatum tells Cohen, is that, as a result of his negative experience with study drugs, he’ll never medicate his child for learning disabilities.

“I truly believe some people need medication,” he says. “I did not. I did better at school when I was on it, but it made me a zombie. You become obsessive. Dexedrine, Adderall. It’s like any other drug. It’s like coke, or crystal meth. The more you do, the less it works. For a time, it would work well. Then it worked less and my pain was more. I would go through wild bouts of depression, horrible comedowns. I understand why kids kill themselves. I absolutely do. You feel terrible. You feel soul-less. I’d never do it to my child.”

Tatum thought the baby was going to be a girl. When initially asked about the gender, he told Cohen, “My wife thinks boy. I think girl.”

Reflecting on the nature of celebrity, Tatum tells Cohen, “I don’t remember who said it, but I do believe that whatever age you become famous, you end up staying that age. Because from that point you’re not asked to be a normal citizen. I broke through at 24 or 25. I had lived a pretty diverse life. When I was finally making money, I knew exactly what I needed … $5.67. I’d have one meal a day. I would go to Checkers and get the No. 1 with everything.”

Tatum thinks people who attain fame earlier in life have it much harder. “I worry about Bieber, man. That kid’s wildly talented. I hope he doesn’t fall down into the usual ways of young kids because it’s so hard for someone to be responsible when they’re not asked to be. We’re not asked to do things ourselves. You have someone there with a coffee. ‘You want food? I’ll get you food.’ I put my bag in the trunk yesterday—I can’t drive here—so my driver, great guy, Terry, amazing, I call him T-Bone, I drop my bag in and left the trunk open. And I get around to my door, and I’m like, ‘What the f–k am I doing? That’s not my behavior.’ ”

I like everything he says. Okay, I chuckle a little at “I read so slow” because obviously. I should say that I don’t think Channing is dumb at all – his success in Hollywood proves that. He might not be the fastest reader or the most educated guy, but he’s got great instincts, he works hard and he’s got more in the way of “street smarts” and emotional intelligence than most actors. I have mixed feelings about medicating children with learning disabilities, and I think Channing’s point about overmedication and feeling like a zombie are valid points. And he’s right to worry about Justin Bieber. That kid’s NOT RIGHT.

Agreed! I think he truly deserves all the success he has had the past few years in Hollywood. Such a nice down to Earth guy who has WORKED for what he has. And he scored major points with me with his thoughts on Justin Beiber.

My child has quite severe ADHD, the predominantly inattentive type, and that’s just not fair. Medication was not an easy decision but it was the best one I ever made for him. His life changed virtually overnight and his self-esteem, which had been in the toilet because he truly believed he was stupid, is now through the roof. We adults feel free to medicate ourselves for problems ranging from anxiety to depression, why should we deprive our children of something that works when they truly need it?

I was medicated as a child for ADHD and while I think it does help people, there needs to be an exit strategy and proper monitoring. I don’t know what med your child takes, but there are non stimulant options. It was a nightmare for me to get off Adderall and I would hate for anyone else to go through what happened to me.

Mich, I agree. My brother was diagnosed at 5 or 6 with ADD. My parents did not put him on medication because they thought he was too young and wanted to explore other options. Fast forward to he 11 and 12, my brother started taking Ritalin and it was a miracle, improved his grades, self esteem, etc. it’s heavily monitored where I am from and need to see the neurologist every few months to make sure it is not abused/no addiction. My brother doesn’t take it outside of school. So I think in some cases, it helps a lot.

And if a child has type 1 diabetes and needs insulin to live, do you not give it to them because then they aren’t normal? ADHD may not be directly life and death, but the medication can have a very positive effect on quality of life and it can prevent some of the possible long-term risk of ADHD, such as addiction to alcohol and street drugs, incarceration, higher rates of car accidents, teenage pregnancy, STDs, etc.

@Mich I agree. When my son, who has severe ADHD, finally became medicated, after a school IEP and a godsend of a fourth grade teacher who recognized his symptoms, he did an about face almost immediately. Kids didn’t want to be in his group at school because he was so impulsive. Now he’s going into 8th grade, he’s in honors with a GPA that is 4.2. He has a bunch of friends, and won a few academic awards from teachers. His self esteem is so much better too.

The decision to medicate him came after a year of testing, finding a new pediatrician who he felt listened to him, and finally finding a therapist who specializes in young kids and ADHD (our 7th one). It took tools on my end to communicate with him better when he isn’t on meds. It took trying 4 different medications and a ton of doses. It wasn’t easy and it wasn’t fun for anyone, but I can say I don’t regret for a second making the choice to medicate him. With the right doctor we found the right dose that works just while he’s in school, and he doesn’t take it on the weekends.

Obviously I hope for him that eventually medication won’t always be needed, but to see my baby finally reach the potential everyone new he had, to hear him say he finally feels “normal”….it makes me tear up now. I’m grateful that kids have options, but believe meds are part of a bigger support picture, not just plug and play to get them to “behave”.

@Little Darling – Thanks for this post. I had a similar experience tutoring a girl who sounds very much like your son (see my post below). I really salute parents like hers, and like you. It takes a LOT of trial and error, and it has to be supplemented by behavioral modification and support as well, but medication can make a difference. Glad your son is so successful, and kudos to you for helping him get there .

He specifically said that sometimes it’s necessary but that is wasn’t necessary for him. Some kids have legit ADHD and probably do benefit from medication, however I think that in a lot of cases teachers and/or parents don’t want to deal with a hyperactive kid so they medicate.

This is very evident in the work that I do. More often than not, a parent complains about what I consider to be “normal” kid behaviors: for example, not wanting to clean their room, or a little bit of talk back. I am NOT referring to serious behaviors, such as a complete refusal to do anything the parents say or being unable to sleep at all due to hyperactivity. These kids often have no real issues at school as reported by their teachers. Despite this, these same parents practically demand that their child be medicated, and more often than not, they are.

Obviously, some children do require medication. I am in no way disagreeing with that because for every not serious case I see, there is an equally serious one that supports the need for medication-in that particular child.

However, many many many people would rather their child “just take a pill” than do the important, necessary work that comes with parenting, to the point where some of these same parents even end up admitting that they have no idea how to handle or raise a child.

Thank you! I was ready to be angry, and a mom who medicated her son. But he recognized that in some cases, medication is necessary. My kindergartener reads on a fifth grade level and is successful at everything he tries, but his impulsivity combined with his intellect was seriously preventing him from making connections with others. Medicating him was a tough decision but it’s changed all of our lives for the better.

Thank you! I was ready to be angry, but he recognized that in some cases, medication is necessary. My kindergartener reads on a fifth grade level and is successful at everything he tries, but his impulsivity combined with his intellect was seriously preventing him from making connections with others. Medicating him was a tough decision but it’s changed all of our lives for the better.

I agree with this article. He’s definitely a competent actor, but many times his on screen chemistry with the ladies is lackluster and seems forced. He’s nice to look at though and he seems like a genuinely nice guy. I thought he was hilarious in 21 Jump Street.

Agreed. I was all set to roll my eyes and say it’s so easy to parent before you actually have kids-but since he had the experience of being a kid who was medicated, he is certainly entitled to his opinion.

I opened this and expected to get pissed at him but, no! I think he’s absolutely right and I have a child with severe autism who is on anti psychotics at this point! We stayed off drugs (except sleep aids) for 9 years but decided to go to a psychiatrist because we were ALL not able to handle my son’s meltdowns. He is a better and happier child for them, but it kills me to see parents having their verbal children on these at 2 and 3 years old …

I have a son on the spectrum and meds (antidepressants) were by far the most effective intervention we tried, and the list is long. It was an agonizing decision and not everyone experiences such dramatic results but they were truly lifesavers for him. He was on them for about 5-6 years and weaned off about two years ago (knock on wood) and is doing amazingly well.

He does; but in his next breath he says he would “never” medicate his child. So, if he has a child that truly needs medication, he still wouldn’t medicate him or her?

An experienced parent knows that you never say never. Before I had kids, I was full of ideas of the things I would or wouldn’t do, too. It all goes out the window when you have a real child, and real situations to deal with.

It’s fine to say you’d be cautious about medicating a child. And medication is overused. But there are many kids who truly need it, and whose parents struggled with what decision to make. I think these kind of blanket statements do much more harm than good. Because one thing he will learn pretty quickly as a parent, is that there are no absolutes. And he will find himself breaking his pre-set rules (not necessarily about medication) in pretty short order.

+1
I’ve been recently diagnosed with ADHD and can’t help but wonder if my life wouldn’t have been much easier if I had been diagnosed as a child. Fortunately I didn’t have learning disabilities, but there are so many other things you have to deal with. Far too much damage done.

I was also diagnosed in adulthood. I did meds (stratera) for abit but decided to focus on other therapies (CBT, support group, exercise and diet) However I would never purport to tell others how to tackle their disorder. My childhood was riddled with bouts of undiagnosed depression and anxiety. Drugs would have been better than nothing.

However, he also said he WON’T medicate his child. If, by chance, his child has ADHD & has the potential to be helped by medication, he’s only holding him back by absolutely refusing to even consider it as an option. My younger brother has ADHD, and was tried on medication when he was younger, and found that the side effects weren’t tolerable, so he was switched to behavior modification therapy…by his teenage years, he was self-medicating w/drugs & alcohol.

@WickedSteppMom, If he’s like many parents, he may reconsider if and when he needs to cross that bridge. Advancements are continuing to be made in drugs and other interventions and his child’s experience with meds, if needed, are likely to be far different than his own. Especially since he’s so aware of the risks and problems, as his parents apparently were not.

A lot of posters here seem to be experts/doctors, too. (Maybe I can consult them the next time I am prescribing,) I think it is easy to say kids shouldn’t be medicated – but when kids are about to kicked out of school or lose a foster home placement because their moods and behavior are stable, and therapy alone isn’t sufficient, it’s not such an easy call anymore.

Yes! This is what I tell my clients’ parents all the time when they ask about medication. First I start by saying it’s a personal choice, to be discussed with a medical doctor if they are interested/want to know more (I’m a psychologist). There are several different kinds of medication though and not everyone will respond well to all of them. And some people don’t respond well to any of them. The right medication should not change the child’s personality.

Those muscles my God! I’m mesmerized. He has a very valid point about medicating children. My ex and I have been through that with our child. He has generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). We struggled with him so much when he was younger. The doctors wanted to medicate him but we refused. We put him into therapy and used behavior modification along with meditation, etc for panic attacks. He has grown up so much and is now starting to handle his anxiety and we are so proud of him. I appreciate Channing telling his story. I hope others will listen to him. I don’t judge others for putting a child on meds if they really need it but at least explore other avenues first. I agree with Kaiser about Channings acting as he is very compelling to watch onscreen. I think he will have an awesome career. I’ve never looked at child stardom in quite the way that he puts it. I immediately thought of Lindsey Lohan and Amanda Bynes.

I have a child with a learning disability and he is on medication. It kills me having him on medication. It doesn’t work anymore and I have always been afraid of putting my child through what Tatum went through. I’m glad he addressed it from his experience. He wasn’t judging all of us parents, he was merely sharing why some medications lead to worse problems.

Wow, I loved his interview and I agree with him on everything. Some kids do need it and it helps. My co-worker’s daughter is doing great on it and it has boosted her self-confidence and eased her horrible struggle in school which had been going on for years. Her mom didn’t rush to put her on it, tried other avenues, but put her on it in high school when she became overwhelmed and really struggling with harder high school courses. Others not, it numbs them. There is overprescribing going on also by doctors and parents wanting a quick fix.

My older brother’s son suffered terribly at school and it always came so hard and his mom would spend hours with him helping him with his homework, making him focus. Eventually they put him on an ADD drug and he did much better for a month, but came to his mom and said he felt like a zombie and felt depressed from feeling that way. She immediately took him off, and the doctor suggested Welbutrin, an anti-depressant, that has some of the effects needed similar to an ADD drug. He did amazingly and he stayed on it for about six months. After that he went off but always did somewhat better after that and also had more patience. She swore it re-wired his brain even after going off. I think it was just that it gave him more confidence. He was always so down on himself before because he just did so poorly in focusing and comprehending.

The too early fame and not growing because everything is done for you is spot on. He really is such a down-to-earth guy and self-aware and always humble, not pretentious.

He may find that it’s not so black and white when it comes to medicating children, but I certainly respect his opinion on it to date.

Also, improper use of the term “study drugs.” Does not refer to drugs that help people study, but to experimental medications, ie. drugs under study. I know, I nitpick. Mag editors wouldn’t know that, I guess.

And I’ve only heard it the other way around – as “drug study” – when it meant pharmacological research.

So saying “I’m taking a study drug” when you mean “drug that is still being studied”, is the version that sounds odd to me. But each to their own … it doesn’t sound “wrong” exactly, just unusual/odd phrasing.

The term “study drug” has apparently entered ordinary language to mean drugs that help you focus or study for long periods. I think I’ve heard it used that way often enough, at least. In my school days, we only had caffeine…

But in my work, I am more familiar with its use in clinical trial lingo, where as someone else has mentioned “study drug” is commonly used to mean the drug that is under study in the trial (a very different meaning). Other terms in clinical trial language also use “study” as an adjective this way, such as “study physician” or “study doctor” in patient information materials (but formally called the Investigator; in such trials the study drug is also formally often called the investigational drug or investigational new drug (IND)).

Guess who spent the entire weekend on a rush translation job for a clinical trial? I could have used a “study drug” in the non-clinical trial sense. Really.

With this statement and his previous “you gotta be honest in marriage and work it out” just makes him a real life superhero. I don’t have a clue who he is, other than that he’s number one in my books now.

This has to be one of the best interviews Ive ever read by a celebrity. It’s open, intelligent, and very humble. I love what he said about jibber because I feel for that kid too. I absolutely do not excuse his behaviour but I understand it’s gotta be tough.

The part about not shutting the trunk himself, and then realizing what he did, reminds me of a recent CB article that showed an actress (can’t remember who) walking around with someone holding an umbrella for her. Like since she became famous, she can’t hold her own umbrella. I can see where someone who’s not mature or self-aware would just turn into an a-hole like that.

My father is an awesome dad, an amazing friend and one hell of an all around great guy. I’m all growed up now, but we continue to have a fantastic (and friendly – we’re actually buds) father-daughter relationship. He’s a better dad for identifying with me as both a daughter and a friend.

‘Learning disabled’ is a ridiculous notion in most cases, I think. Unless there is an actual handicap at play, I think that children just have many different ways of learning. Couple that with the big-box approach to teaching these days, and I guess people just find it easier to label and medicate rather than tailor their teaching approaches more individually. Parenting has gone down hill too. It’s sad.

I agree with you so much about the “one size fits all” teaching style. I recently moved from Massachusetts to Texas, both states teach to their asinine standardized tests, encouraging children to be automatons and fact-spewing machines. Sad, especially when you have a kid who marches to his own drum and doesn’t fit said mold.

Actually, at least in our school system, they don’t use the the term learning disability any more. Kids on IEPs have “learning differences”, which is a much better way of looking at it.

That’s a pretty blanket statement you made, by the way. There are many caring, devoted parents who do the best they can for their kids, and who are very involved in their education. While there are some parents who don’t get involved or who are quick to medicate their kids, they’re in the minority, I believe.

I agree with you, Ann. I know parents who agonize over their child’s problems in school. They would not medicate their child to make their own life easier, and it is shameful to throw all parents under the bus. It seems to some people that parents are either absentee, or if they are involved, it is for their own self-interests. That is one tough jury.

Sweeping generalizations about parents and teachers are always fun. I’ll just tackle the teacher portion.

Are you a teacher? If you are I’d love to know how you would individually tailor daily lesson plans for 30 individuals each day for over 150 days?

If you aren’t a teacher let me give you a heads up about the”big-box approach to teaching”. Teachers don’t control standards, state boards of education do or in the case of the Common Core a corporation filled with government officials does. Teachers often don’t control curriculum, local boards of education do. What teachers do control is how they deliver the information required of them by the state and local governments. What teachers also do is utilize differentiation within unit and lesson plans to address multiple learning styles. In other news, I’ve yet to meet a teacher who thinks standardized tests, also known as summative assessments, are the bees knees. But, what do I know I’m just one of those teachers with a big box approach handing out medication and falsely labeling kids. I also take time to stroke my mustache while throwing back my head and laughing maniacally.

Why not take the time to read about what teachers want. What teachers believe are the answers to our troubled school system. How teachers feel about Common Core, standardized tests, and curriculum expectations before tossing out generalizations.

Ali, thanks for all you do as a teacher. I really hate hearing these kinds of generalizations. I’m not a teacher, but have two kids in school. And their teachers have all been great. One of my kids has had “learning differences”, and his teachers have been wonderful. They really get to know him and work with his issues, and he has really bloomed and is now doing great. I can’t say enough about their school and the teachers. Maybe we’ve just been lucky, but I suspect there’s much more of this than the usual bitching about schools you normally hear.

Some children do have trouble learning reading or math or expressing themselves verbally. These are, in my opinion, valid learning disabilities, but drugs are not indicated for these conditions. However, they can lead to severe distress, hating school, acting out there or refusing to go, depression and anxiety, etc. There seems to be confusion about learning disorders and conditions such as ADHD, for which meds are indicated.

I like him, he seems like a nice guy, and must be a hard worker with all the recent success he’s had. I don’t find him all that attractive though, and in the limited movies I’ve seen him in, wasn’t terribly impressed. But he doesn’t seem like a jerk, and is grateful for what he has, so he’s OK in my book.

As for medication, I agree it’s often overdone, but also that it can and does help some people. Issues like that should never be black and white, you have to find what works best for you & your family.

I’m with him on the medication. Kids are overprescribed for all sorts of disorders when come on, there’s no one ‘learning style’, parents and teachers should learn to find a style that suits the child and helps them achieve their potential – not some generic fix-all.

I like Channing, he comes across as grounded and hardworking. And in an era of overly self-aware actors, he’s so refreshingly genuine. I sort of get why he would compare himself to JLaw.

Having ADHD does not make you learning disabled!
Having learning disabilities does not mean you have ADHD and need drugs associated with it.

I have a child that has BOTH and let me tell you it isn’t easy AT ALL. Its so easy for people to judge when they haven’t walked a mile in his (or my) shoes. While he is still young, and we have done all lifestyle recommendations possible (watch sugar, artificial colors, keep to a routine, proper disciplinary action), it is hard when your 7 year old tells you “my mind is going cuckoo” (his words…not mine!).

The funny thing about interviews like this is, he will probably come back in about 15 years and say “you can’t be just be friends with your kids, you have to set an example and be a good a role model.” And if his daughter ever needs medication, he may re-think that as well, who knows?

This is one of those very touchy subjects where I think every side has a valid point. I do think sometimes children are over-medicated or improperly medicated. I think this was especially the case years ago, when doctors just didn’t have as much experience in this area, and many of the drugs themselves were new. I really feel for Channing for having such a lousy experience.

That being said, there are children who absolutely need and benefit from properly administered medication. When I was in college I tutored a child who could not sit still for two seconds — the poor kid really wanted to, but you could tell she just wasn’t able to. There were days when she was literally bouncing off the walls (she was flexible, I’ll give her that).

It took some trial and error, but after she got on the right dosage of medication, she was a different person in and out of school We see each other from time to time, and she recently e-mailed me to let me know she was admitted into law school, which warms my heart .

Anyway, it definitely takes a lot of involvement and questioning of the doctor on the part of parents, but I don’t think it’s right to dismiss meds out of hand.

As someone who is learning disabled and been medicate since the age of ten, I can’t say I totally agree with him. Sometimes it’s about finding the right mess and sometimes “the right meds” change as you mature. I went through a number of pills, some of which worked, some didn’t. Some stopped working right after a few years and it wasn’t a case of it wearing off, more like the side effects changed as I matured during adolescence. I was on concerta for a while, which was fantastic until I was about fourteen and it started keeping me awake. Now I’m on Vyvanse and it’s absolutely fantastic for me. I was on Strattera for a little while, and that made me feel like a zombie and Adderall really screwed with my head. Unfortunately, not many people can afford to change things around for their kid, but Tatum should be able to. It’s not about telling your kid that they are only worth something if they are medicated, it’s about recognizing their struggles and doing what is necessary to help them. My Mom fought putting me on meds for years when the school wanted it, but when she finally did it, things got a lot better for me. These days the problem is not medication, it’s giving it to too many people who don’t need it. So many people are quick to call even the slightest lapse in attention ADD or ADHD. “Oh! My kid’s teacher says that s/he talks during class and they never want to go to bed when I tell them to! They must have ADHD! It couldn’t possibly be the fact that s/he is fucking seven years old and THAT’S WHAT SEVEN YEAR OLDS DO. No, that possibility would mean I’d have to take the time to discipline my child. Pills are much easier. And if the doctor tells me otherwise, I’ll just accuse him/her of being negligen and take my business elsewhere!” Of course, there are the doctors that are only too happy to go all prescription crazed to amp up business. It’s a mess. And then that makes the parents of kids who need it not want to I’ve them the meds they need . It’s sad.

Oh, I’m not denying that for some people, it’s better to go without. I’m a depressive and I don’t take anti-depressants, yet right now my life is going better than it ever has. I do however take other meds, Vyvanse and I’m currently in the midst of switching from Seroquel to Depakote. A lot of times, with anti-depressants, you do feel emotionally numb for a while and then eventually you just feel a gazillion times better a few weeks into taking them. That’s an issue because you keep waiting and waiting to start feeling normal, and it takes a while. That’s what happened with my Dad. But the thing is, the stigma attached to meds have caused a ton of people to go off or not take the things they really need and end up really screwed up as a result. So many people think taking your meds is a sign of weakness, or that it means you have a drug problem, or that you’re fucking with yourself, or that it makes you a pill freak. And it doesn’t help that there are so many people who, when they find out that you are learning disabled or that you’re a depressive or OCD, immediately decide that they are somehow a licensed Psychiatrist/Psychoanalyst/Therapist and that they know FOR A FACT that “All those drugs aren’t good for you. Pill-popping is wrong, you’re overmedicated and so is everyone else” despite the fact that they’re actually a welder or party magician or some shit. And there are so many people who go off their meds because it makes the people around them happier. I cannot tell you how many people have tried to lecture me on how I shouldn’t use medication and how I’m better off “without all those chemicals, Girl”, even people I’ve known for maybe a week and have no actual qualifications to give such advice. A lot of times people talk about how horrible mental health treatment is today because of meds despite the fact that it is actually better than it has ever been considering people used to give twelve year olds lobotomies for having moods swings and kids were given “soothing syrups” made out of morphine and heroin. People with learning disabilities used to be pretty much screwed and a lot of them self-medicated with alcohol/narcotics because drugs like Ritalin weren’t around. My father couldn’t read until he was about eleven. Not because he is stupid (he worked his way through college and grad school, went from a lower-working class background to starting and operating a very successful government contracting firm and is considered own of the best proposal writers/editors/contractors in the DC area and retired with a million in the bank. He also was a registered EMT for a while and had the top EMT exam scores in the state), it’s because he’s dyslexic and ADD. He still has problems with spelling and grammar. But now he’s medicated and became extremely successful.

Are there alternatives to meds for people with mental issues? Yes, but there’s a reason why those things are the “alternatives” and medication is “the standard”. And a lot of the “alternatives” should only be used for people who truly can’t benefit from meds and should be Plan B because it often involves intense behavioral modification and I’m not talking about a few lifestyle changes. I’m talking about intense coaching and intense practices that make it harder to live a normal life and have normal free time like any other person. Medication is actually a wonderful thing for so many people, and that’s why it’s the standard. Unfortunately, too many people can’t distinguish between being human and having a disability, or they don’t know the difference between someone who takes the medication they need and someone who abuses drugs. The people who are disabled and can’t take meds and/or are better off without them are the exception, not the rule, and that is really the worst. Most people need them. Are too many people using medication? Yes. But that’s because there are too many people WHO AREN’T REALLY DISABLED AND SHOULDN’T BE TAKING THEM are taking them while not enough of the people who SHOULD be taking them are not.

@TheWendyNerd, I hear you. I often tell people that you wouldn’t deny a diabetic the medication they need to keep their illness under control and meds for psychiatric disorders shouldn’t be regarded any differently.

It’s especially hard for parents trying to make a decision for a child. An adult can explain how the medication makes him or her feel in detail, making dose/med adjustments a little easier. Young children don’t have the vocabulary or experience to easily do the same, so the adults have to mostly guess from external signs. We know much more now than thirty years ago and are learning more every day, but we are not at the point of being able to easily identify the problems Star-Trek style with a swipe of a tricorder or to easily match drug to patient. There’s a lot of guesswork and trial-and-error involved.

Come on now, that was just unnecessary. Why make a comment like that when someone is just trying to share something about themselves? Sometimes the comment section on this site takes on a life of its own and it turns into a full fledged conversation. Nothing wrong with that.

Oh? Really? So even when discussing a highly serious topic like mental health and trying to better explain my background as to provide context for my opinions, it’s somehow wrong to speak at length? Okay, well maybe you should inform the other commenters here as well who also often leave long comments. That is, if you have even gotten past the first sentence of this comment without turning away in disgust at so many words.

Dave, nobody has a gun to your head, forcing you to read every post. If it’s longer than you care to read or just not interesting to you- skip over it and move along. It’s like a big party with a lot of little groups chatting. If you aren’t interested in a group conversation, just wander over to another group. No need to try to shut down the conversation in the group you left.

Wow, that just made me like him more! I have a kiddo on ADHD medication, and was on it myself as a kid. He is spot on with some of the side effects. It was a difficult decision to medicate my child, and these are the exact reasons t was hard. He doesn’t come across as high and mighty, he says some people, DO need meds, but he’s basically saying he will avoid them if he can for his kid. He loves his baby so much already! Aww, so sweet!

Do not get this guy at all. He’s got that puffy roidy face, he’s a mediocre actor, and he just seems like another beefcake actor without anything special to make him more interesting than any of the others who look just like him. He’s the new McConaughey and I wasn’t a fan of that act the first time around.

As a side note, I forgot to add how little I care to see or hear from John Galliano. Anyone who tells someone they and their parents should have died in an oven and that Hitler is great needs to be out of the public eye, no matter how talented he allegedly is.

Absolutely love this interview. Chan has grown on me with his movie choices and his grounded ways. I like that he doesnt consider himself above projects like those silly MTV? Awards promos he did with Rebel Wilson, or basically being a backup dancer (albeit with Charlize Theron) at the Oscars. He is going to be so cute with his little Tater-Tot!

And I am giving you a pass since you are such a new dad, but it has been my experience that every time I have used the word “never” in relation to one of my children, it has come back to bite me. Hard. I understand you are talking from personal experience, but I just encourage you to be careful with those kinds of “never” comments. Parenting is humbling enough without having all those public words to eat.

Everyone has already parsed his medication statement above… but I’ll say one thing. Being a SLOW reader in no way makes one a POOR reader. I get irritated when people make the assumption that Channing Tatum is dumb, when his interviews show far more intelligence than most we see from celebs. Let’s face it people, he is southern, has muscles, and dammit the guy is smart. He writes, he produces, he speaks well. Give him that credit. And it doesn’t matter how slow he reads, it matters what he comprehends and what he does with it. You can speed read all day and retain nothing, that doesn’t make you smart.

I just love this interview. It makes him seem so relatable and down-to-earth. I like that he said meds are right for some people, but that it wasn’t a good fit for him because of the side effects. It was spot on!

Go Channing. I love him. He seems very grateful. He also seems to be smart about the business and effects. Very wary which will probably help him alot in the long run. My dad was a roofer too until he fell through a skylight. Hard work and raise hard workers.

Reading slowly doesn’t mean dumb. My brother has always been a slow reader, but his comprehension and retention of what he reads is very high. I can speed read through things because I have to do that in my job, but I’m definitely not smarter than my brother. Same thing with numbers and techiness – I’m the techie, he’s the technophobe. Numbers are my friends but he has little sense of numbers. Our brains work in different ways and our interests have always been very different. But I’ve always felt we are both at the same intelligence level.

A friend of mine was an extra on Foxcatcher, and finally got to meet him during reshoots, when he apparently came over to the extras to thank them for everything. She said he was very sweet and humble.She was impressed.

The part about medicating learning disabilities annoys me. I’m a psychologist who specializes in learning and the conditions that affect it. Medication is not a treatment for learning disabilities. It is a treatment option for ADHD (the term ADD is not actually a diagnostic term anymore, but there are 3 types of ADHD). Many children with learning disabilities also have ADHD, so they may be on medication, but the medication is not for treating the learning disability. ADHD is NOT a learning disability, but it does affect learning (as do a variety of other conditions).

Having read this I believed it was extremely informative.
I appreciate you taking the time and energy to put this information together.
I once again find myself spending a significant amount of time both reading and
commenting. But so what, it was still worth it!